This application claims priority of Taiwanese Application No. 90217523, filed on Oct. 15, 2001.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wood lathe, and more particularly to a wood lathe including a tracing unit, by which a groove pattern on a sample bar is traced mechanically and is duplicated on a bar blank.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a conventional wood lathe 10 is shown to include a lathe bed 11, a blank-holding unit 12, a sample-holding unit 13, a moving unit 14, a blade unit 15, a tracing unit 16, and a tension spring 17. The blank-holding unit 12 consists of a headstock 121 and a tailstock 122, which are provided with a pair of clamping elements 1211, 1221 that clamp and fix a wood bar blank (not shown) therebetween. An output shaft (not shown) is journalled to the headstock 121, and is connected fixedly to the clamping element 1211 so as to rotate the bar blank (not shown) when the output shaft rotates. The sample-holding unit 13 includes two bases 131 that are disposed slidably on and that are locked releaseably on the lathe bed 11, two support frames 132 that are inserted respectively into two hollow posts 1311 of the bases 131, two height-adjustable movable members 133 that are sleeved respectively on the support frames 132, two horizontal mounting rods 134 that are connected fixedly to the movable members 133, and two clamping elements 135 that are connected respectively and fixedly to the connecting rods 134 and that clamp and fix a sample bar (not shown) therebetween.
The moving unit 14 includes a track unit 141 that is connected fixedly to top ends of the support frames 132, and an interior sliding block 142 that is disposed longitudinally and movably within the track unit 141. A generally U-shaped exterior sliding seat 143 is disposed movably on an outer surface of the track unit 141. A bottom sliding member 144 is connected fixedly to the interior sliding block 142 and the exterior sliding seat 143, and is disposed movably on a bottom portion of the track unit 141. A bottom cover 145 is disposed to close a bottom opening 1441 in the bottom sliding member 144. A handle 146 is fixed to a horizontal top plate portion 1431 (see FIG. 3) of the exterior sliding seat 143.
The blade unit 15 includes a blade-mounting rod 151, and a blade 152 that is mounted fixedly to the blade-mounting rod 151 and that is inserted between the bottom sliding member 144 and the bottom cover 145. The tracing unit 16 includes a vertical connecting rod 161 that is connected fixedly to the blade-mounting rod 151, an annular adjustment element 162 that is sleeved movably on and that is locked releaseably on the connecting rod 161, and a follower roller 163 that is mounted rotatably on the adjustment element 162 and that is biased by the spring 17 to press against a lateral side of the sample bar (not shown). When the handle 146 is moved along the track unit 141, the follower roller 163 slides over the lateral side of the sample bar (not shown) along a curved path so that the blade 152 moves synchronously with the follower roller 163. Accordingly, a groove pattern on the sample bar (not shown) is traced mechanically, and is duplicated on the bar blank (not shown). The aforesaid conventional wood lathe 10 suffers from a drawback in that no effective guiding and stabilizing means are provided for the exterior sliding seat 143, thereby resulting in vibration of the blade unit 15 when the follower roller 163 slides on the sample bar (not shown). As such, the blade 152 cannot move smoothly during operation.
The object of this invention is to provide a wood lathe, which includes a tracing unit and a blade that can move smoothly during operation.
According to this invention, a wood lathe includes an axial moving unit with a movable seat, which is sleeved movably on a driving rod and a guide rod that are parallel to each other. A driving gear is disposed rotatably on the movable seat, and engages a gear-engaging member of the driving rod. When an actuator member is rotated, the gear rotates synchronously therewith so as to move the movable seat on the driving rod. A sample bar and a bar blank are held on a bed of the lathe. A blade is carried on the movable seat for cutting the bar blank. A tracing unit is disposed on the movable seat so that a groove pattern on the sample bar is traced mechanically and is duplicated on the bar blank. Because the movable seat is moved on the driving rod by rotating the actuator member, the movements of the movable seat and the blade are stabilized. Furthermore, the movable seat is guided effectively to move smoothly in a direction by means of the guide rod.